CN110352612B

CN110352612B - Managing private and public system information

Info

Publication number: CN110352612B
Application number: CN201880016072.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: P.弗伦格尔; J.吕纳; S.瓦格尔
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Current assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Priority date: 2017-01-05
Filing date: 2018-01-05
Publication date: 2022-04-29
Anticipated expiration: 2038-01-05
Also published as: CN110352612A; AR110816A1; US20210136661A1; RU2724647C1; JP2020505804A; WO2018127843A1; AU2018205845A1; AU2018205845B2; JP6997787B2; EP3566499A1; EP3566499B1; US11153809B2

Abstract

A method for managing private and public system information includes receiving a first message including a first set of parameters associated with system information. The first set of parameters has a first validity. The method also includes deriving a stored set of parameters based at least in part on the first set of parameters and its associated validity. Additionally, the method includes receiving a second message including a second set of parameters associated with the system information. The second set of parameters has a second significance. The method further includes modifying the stored set of parameters when the second validity replaces the first validity.

Description

Managing private and public system information

Technical Field

The present invention is directed, in general, to communication systems and, more particularly, to managing private and public system information.

Background

In current communication systems, the handling of dedicated system information ("SI") that is unicast to a wireless communication device, such as a user equipment ("UE"), is not clear in view of common SI broadcast from a radio access node, such as a base station. When the UE receives the private and public system information, the UE must determine what system information to employ for most efficient communication in the communication system. Of course, this may depend on many factors, including but not limited to operator policy, UE capabilities, subscription data, or design choices specified in third generation partnership project ("3 GPP") standards, etc.

For the fifth generation/New air interface (5G/NR) communication systems being discussed within 3GPP, the concept of on-demand delivery of SI is being considered in addition to the conventional periodic broadcast of SI in a cell. One way to use SI on demand is that an SI on demand delivery request may trigger the broadcast of additional SI in one or more of the periodically recurring preconfigured occasions (and/or resources). This approach of using on-demand delivery is intended for use by UEs in idle/inactive state, where the request/trigger may be in the form of a dedicated preamble (i.e., similar or identical to a random access preamble). An alternative to a simple preamble based SI request is to implement the request (e.g., an "incomplete" random access procedure without contention resolution, where the request is likely to have details such as the requested portion of the available on-demand SI elaborated, with the request included in a message commonly referred to as message 3 (Msg 3) of the random access procedure) by a three-way message exchange consisting of a random access preamble transmission from an idle/inactive UE, a random access response from the network (e.g., the gNB), plus an explicit request message.

Another way to use on-demand SI delivery is that the on-demand SI delivery request triggers a response dedicated to the requesting UE. This variant may be designed to be used by UEs in either (or both) idle/inactive or connected/active states. In the former case, the request/trigger may be a dedicated preamble, as in the case of triggering broadcast of additional SI, and in this case the gNB/TRP may respond immediately (or in a preconfigured occasion and/or resource that periodically recurs as described above) and may beamform the response in the direction of the requesting UE (based on directional reciprocity in the gNB/TRP or based on PRACH resources and/or preambles used for the request transmission). In the latter case, where the requesting UE is in a CONNECTED/active state (e.g., RRC _ CONNECTED state in 5G/NR), the UE may send a potentially detailed and fine-grained SI request in the form of an RRC message, and the gNB/network will respond with an RRC message addressed to the requesting UE (see fig. 4).

One way to accommodate the on-demand SI along with the more traditional broadcast of the SI is to divide the SI into two parts, where one part is broadcast periodically and the other part is made available on-demand. In 5G/NR, the SI is divided into "minimum SI" and "other SI". The minimum SI (in the form of the master information block MIB and the system information block type 1 SIB 1) is broadcast periodically. System Information Blocks (SIBs) belonging to "other SIs" may be broadcast periodically or made available for use as needed. All "other SI" may be broadcast periodically or made available on demand, or a portion of it may be broadcast periodically and the remainder made available on demand (see fig. 5).

Accordingly, there is a need for systems, wireless devices, network nodes, methods, etc., for managing private and public system information in a communication system.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of embodiments herein to provide a way of managing private and public system information. According to particular embodiments, a method for managing private and public system information includes receiving a first message including a first set of parameters associated with system information. The first set of parameters has a first validity. The method also includes deriving a stored set of parameters based at least in part on the first set of parameters and its associated validity. Additionally, the method includes receiving a second message including a second set of parameters associated with the system information. The second set of parameters has a second significance. The method further comprises the following steps: the stored set of parameters is modified when the second validity replaces the first validity.

According to some embodiments, the first message comprises private system information and the second message comprises public system information. In some of these embodiments, the second set of parameters is a system information block and the second message contains zero or more additional system information blocks.

According to some embodiments, the first message includes public system information and the second message includes private system information. In some of these embodiments, the first set of parameters is a system information block and the first message contains zero or more additional system information blocks.

According to some embodiments, the first validity is based on the first validity indication and the second validity is based on the second validity indication. The method further includes comparing the first validity indication to the second validity indication to determine whether the second validity supersedes the first validity. In some of these embodiments, the first validity indication comprises a first version indicator and the second validity indication comprises a second version indicator. In such embodiments, the second validity replaces the first validity when the second version indicator comprises a newer version than the first version indicator.

According to some embodiments, at least one of the first validity or the second validity has a timer associated therewith. In such embodiments, the method further comprises determining whether a timer has expired to determine whether the second validity supersedes the first validity.

According to some embodiments, the method may comprise modifying the stored set of parameters based on one or more modifications selected from the group consisting of: replacing a parameter in the stored parameter set with a corresponding parameter from the second parameter set; adding parameters from the second set of parameters to the stored set of parameters; or removing parameters from the stored parameter set based on information contained in the second parameter set.

According to particular embodiments, a User Equipment (UE) for managing system information includes interface circuitry configured to receive a first message including a first set of parameters associated with the system information. The first set of parameters may have a first validity. The UE may also include processing circuitry coupled to the interface circuitry. The processing circuit may be configured to derive the stored set of parameters based at least in part on the first set of parameters and its associated validity. The interface circuit may be further configured to receive a second message comprising a second set of parameters associated with the system information. The second set of parameters may have a second significance. When the second validity replaces the first validity, the processing circuit is configured to modify the stored set of parameters. The UE may also include power circuitry configured to provide power to the processing circuitry and the interface circuitry.

According to a particular embodiment, a wireless device for managing system information includes logic encoded in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The wireless device also includes a processor configured to execute the logic. The logic, when executed, causes the wireless device to receive a first message comprising a first set of parameters associated with system information. The first set of parameters may have a first validity. The logic may also cause the wireless device to derive the stored set of parameters based at least in part on the first set of parameters and its associated validity. The logic, when executed, may also cause the wireless device to receive a second message comprising a second set of parameters associated with the system information. The second set of parameters may have a second significance. The logic may cause the wireless device to modify the stored set of parameters when the second validity replaces the first validity.

According to particular embodiments, a system for managing private and public system information includes a network node configured to transmit a first message including a first set of parameters associated with system information. The first set of parameters may have a first validity. The system also includes a user equipment configured to receive the first message. The user equipment is further configured to derive the stored set of parameters based at least in part on the first set of parameters and its associated validity. The network node of the system may be further configured to transmit a second message comprising a second set of parameters associated with the system information. The second set of parameters may have a second significance. The user equipment of the system may be further configured to receive a second message. The user equipment may be configured to modify the stored set of parameters when the second validity replaces the first validity.

Advantageously, one or more embodiments provide the ability to modify all or some of the parameters of the system information or none of the parameters of the system information. This may allow the network to provide UE-specific system information. Which in turn may allow for differentiation or separation of UEs based on various aspects. It is to be noted that any feature of any of the above embodiments may be applied to any other embodiment, where appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any embodiment may apply to other embodiments, and vice versa. Other objects, features and advantages of the appended embodiments will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, appended claims and accompanying drawings.

In general, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the element, device, component, means, step, etc" are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.

Drawings

Specific embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a communication system in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a wireless device, in accordance with certain embodiments;

fig. 3 illustrates a network node, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates the exchange of signals requesting on-demand system information;

FIG. 5 illustrates a decomposition of system information provided in part by periodic broadcast and in part by on-demand request;

FIG. 6 illustrates the exchange of signals, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates a method in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates a method in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates the exchange of signals, in accordance with certain embodiments; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a method in accordance with certain embodiments.

Corresponding reference numerals and symbols in the different figures generally refer to corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated and may not be re-described after the first instance for the sake of brevity.

Detailed Description

Some of the embodiments contemplated by the claims will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are within the scope of the claims, and the claims should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Although the principles will be described in the context of a third generation partnership project ("3 GPP") communication system, any environment, such as a Wi-Fi wireless communication system, is within the broad scope of the present disclosure.

Referring initially to fig. 1 through 3, shown are diagrams of embodiments of a communication system and portions thereof. Fig. 1 illustrates a communication system in accordance with certain embodiments. As shown in fig. 1, the communication system includes one or more instances (one of which is designated 110) of a wireless communication device, or simply a wireless device. The wireless device may be a user equipment ("UE"). In some cases, the wireless device may be a particular type of UE, such as a machine type communication ("MTC") UE or a machine-to-machine ("M2M") UE. The communication system also includes one or more radio access nodes or network nodes (one of which is designated 120). The network node may be an eNodeB, a gNB, or other base station capable of communicating with the wireless communication devices 110, and any additional elements suitable for supporting communication between the wireless communication devices 110 or between the wireless communication devices 110 and another communication device, such as a landline telephone. Although the illustrated wireless communication device 110 may represent a communication device including any suitable combination of hardware and/or software, in particular embodiments, the wireless communication device 110 may represent a device such as the example wireless communication device illustrated in more detail by fig. 2. Similarly, although the illustrated radio access nodes 120 may represent network nodes comprising any suitable combination of hardware and/or software, in particular embodiments, these nodes may represent apparatuses such as the example radio access node illustrated in more detail by fig. 3.

Wireless communication may involve the transmission and/or reception of wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for communicating information over the air. In some embodiments, the WD may be configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct interaction with a human. For example, the WD may be designed to transmit information to the network on a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the network.

Fig. 2 illustrates a wireless device, in accordance with a particular embodiment. A Wireless Device (WD) may refer to a device capable, configured, arranged, and/or operable to wirelessly communicate with a network node and/or other wireless devices. Unless noted otherwise, the term WD may be used interchangeably herein with User Equipment (UE). Examples of WDs include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback appliances, wearable end devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptop computers, Laptop Embedded Equipment (LEEs), Laptop Mounted Equipment (LMEs), smart devices, wireless client devices (CPEs), vehicle-mounted wireless end devices, and the like. WD may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing the 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, i.e., push-to-talk (push-to-talk) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-anything (V2X), and may be referred to as D2D communication device in this case. As yet another particular example, in an internet of things (IoT) scenario, a WD may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and/or measurements and communicates results of such monitoring and/or measurements to another WD and/or network node. In this case, WD may be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which may be referred to as MTC device in the 3GPP context. As one particular example, the WD may be a UE implementing the 3GPP narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices such as power meters, industrial machinery, or household or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), personal wearable devices (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, WD may represent a vehicle or other device capable of monitoring and/or reporting information about its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

As shown in fig. 2, an example wireless communications apparatus includes an antenna 211, an interface 214, processing circuitry 220, an apparatus-readable medium 230, user interface devices 232, auxiliary devices 234, a power supply 236, and power circuitry 237. WD 210 may include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by WD 210, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or bluetooth wireless technologies, to name just a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets as other components within WD 210. In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being performed by the WD may be provided by the processing circuit 220 executing instructions stored on a device-readable medium 230, which device-readable medium 230 may be a computer-readable storage medium in certain embodiments. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuit 220, such as in a hardwired manner, without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium. In any of those particular embodiments, the processing circuit 220, whether executing instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium or not, may be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 220 or to other components of WD 210, but rather are enjoyed by WD 210 as a whole and/or by end users and wireless networks in general. Alternative embodiments of the wireless communication device may include additional components to those shown in fig. 2 that may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the device's functionality, including any of the functionality described above and/or any functionality necessary to support the solutions described herein.

The processing circuit 220 may be implemented with one or more processing devices. Processing circuit 220 may perform functions associated with its operation including, but not limited to, precoding of antenna gain/phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming a communication message, formatting of information, and overall control of the corresponding communication device. Exemplary functions related to management of communication resources include, but are not limited to, hardware installation, traffic management, performance data analysis, configuration management, security, billing, and the like. The processing circuit 220 may be of any type suitable to the local application environment. The processing circuit 220 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and/or encoded logic operable to provide WD 210 functionality, alone or in combination with other WD 210 components, such as device readable medium 230. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, the processing circuit 220 may execute instructions stored in the device-readable medium 230 or in a memory within the processing circuit 220 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

As shown, the processing circuitry 220 includes one or more of RF transceiver circuitry 222, baseband processing circuitry 224, and application processing circuitry 226. In other embodiments, the processing circuitry may include different components and/or different combinations of components. In certain embodiments, processing circuitry 220 of WD 210 may include an SOC. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 222, the baseband processing circuitry 224, and the application processing circuitry 226 may be on separate chips or chipsets. In alternative embodiments, some or all of baseband processing circuitry 224 and application processing circuitry 226 may be combined into one chip or set of chips, and RF transceiver circuitry 222 may be on a separate chip or set of chips. In yet alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 222 and the baseband processing circuitry 224 may be on the same chip or chip set, and the application processing circuitry 226 may be on a separate chip or chip set. In still other alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 222, the baseband processing circuitry 224, and the application processing circuitry 226 may be combined in the same chip or set of chips. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 222 may be part of interface 214. The RF transceiver circuitry 222 may condition the RF signal for the processing circuitry 220.

Processing circuit 220 may be configured to perform any of the determination, calculation, or similar operations described herein as being performed by WD (e.g., certain obtaining operations). These operations as performed by the processing circuit 220 may include: the information obtained by processing circuitry 220 is processed by, and a determination is made as a result of, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored by WD 210, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information.

The device-readable medium 230 may be one or more memories and may be of any type suitable to the local application environment and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The device-readable medium 230 is operable to store computer programs, software, applications including one or more of the following, usable by the processing circuit 220: logic, rules, code, tables, data, instructions, and the like. The program stored in the memory may include program instructions or computer program code which, when executed by the associated processor, cause the respective communication device to perform its intended tasks. Of course, the memory may form a data buffer for data transferred to and from the same memory. Exemplary embodiments of the systems, subsystems and modules as described herein may be implemented, at least in part, by computer software executable by a processor, or by hardware, or by a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 220 and the device-readable medium 230 may be considered to be integrated.

As shown, the interface 214 includes radio front-end circuitry 212 and an antenna 211. The radio front-end circuit 212 includes one or more filters 218 and an amplifier 216. The radio front-end circuit 212 is connected to the antenna 211 and the processing circuit 220, and is configured to condition signals passing between the antenna 211 and the processing circuit 220. The radio front-end circuit 212 may be coupled to the antenna 211 or be part of the antenna 211. In some embodiments, WD 210 may not include separate radio front-end circuitry 212; instead, the processing circuit 220 may include radio front-end circuitry and may be connected to the antenna 211. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 222 may be considered part of interface 214. The radio front-end circuit 212 may receive digital data to be sent out to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 212 may use a combination of filters 218 and/or amplifiers 216 to convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 211. Similarly, the antenna 211, when receiving data, may collect radio signals, which are then converted to digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 212. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 220. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and/or different combinations of components.

The antenna 211 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and/or receive wireless signals and is connected to the interface 214. In certain alternative embodiments, antenna 211 may be separate from WD 210 and may be connected to WD 210 through an interface or port. The antenna 211, the interface 214, and/or the processing circuit 220 may be configured to perform any of the receive or transmit operations described herein as being performed by the WD. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from the network node and/or another WD. In some embodiments, the radio front-end circuitry and/or antenna 211 may be considered an interface.

User interface device 232 may provide components that allow a human user to interact with WD 210. Such interaction can take many forms, such as visual, audible, tactile, and the like. User interface device 232 is operable to generate an output to a user and allow the user to provide an input to WD 210. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface device 232 installed in WD 210. For example, if WD 210 is a smartphone, the interaction may be via a touchscreen; if WD 210 is a smart meter, interaction may be through a screen that provides a usage (e.g., gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alert (e.g., if smoke is detected). The user interface device 232 may include input interfaces, devices, and circuits, and output interfaces, devices, and circuits. The user interface device 232 is configured to allow information to be input into the WD 210 and is connected to the processing circuitry 220 to allow the processing circuitry 220 to process the input information. The user interface device 232 may include, for example, a microphone, proximity or other sensor, keys/buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. User interface device 232 is also configured to allow information to be output from WD 210 and to allow processing circuitry 220 to output information from WD 210. The user interface device 232 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, a vibration circuit, a USB port, a headphone interface, or other output circuitry. WD 210 may communicate with end users and/or wireless networks using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits of user interface device 232 and allow them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

The auxiliary device 234 may be operable to provide more specific functionality that may not be generally performed by the WD. This may include specialized sensors for making measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communication, and the like. The inclusion and type of components of the auxiliary device 234 may vary depending on the embodiment and/or the scenario.

In some embodiments, the power source 236 may take the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may also be used, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a power cell. WD 210 may further include power circuitry 237 for delivering power from power source 236 to various portions of WD 210 that require power from power source 236 to carry out any of the functionality described or indicated herein. In some embodiments, the power circuit 237 may include a power management circuit. Additionally or alternatively, the power circuit 237 is operable to receive power from an external power source; in this case, WD 210 may be connected to an external power source (such as an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface, such as a power cable. In certain embodiments, the power circuit 237 is also operable to deliver power from an external power source to the power supply 236. This may be used, for example, to charge the power supply 236. Power circuit 237 may perform any adjustments, conversions, or other modifications to the power to or from power source 236 in order to adapt the power to the respective components of WD 210 to which the power is supplied.

Fig. 3 illustrates a network node, in accordance with certain embodiments. A network node may refer to an apparatus capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and/or with other network nodes or devices in a wireless network in order to enable and/or provide wireless access to the wireless device and/or perform other functions (e.g., management) in the wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, an Access Point (AP) (e.g., a radio access point), a Base Station (BS) (e.g., a radio base station, a node B, an evolved node B (enb), and a NR NodeB (gNB)). Base stations may be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or in other words, based on their transmit power level) and may then also be referred to as femto base stations (femto base stations), pico base stations (pico base stations), micro base stations, or macro base stations. The base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling the relay. The network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and/or a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a Remote Radio Head (RRH). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a Distributed Antenna System (DAS). Still further examples of network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) devices such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) or Base Station Controllers (BSCs), Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell/Multicast Coordination Entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSCs, MMEs), O & M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E-SMLCs), and/or MDTs. As another example, the network node may be a virtual network node as described in more detail below. More generally, however, a network node may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to enable and/or provide access to a wireless device or to provide some service to a wireless device that has accessed a wireless network.

As shown in fig. 3, the example network node includes a processing circuit 370, an apparatus-readable medium 380, an interface 390, an auxiliary device 384, a power supply 386, a power circuit 387, and an antenna 362. Although network node 360 shown in the example wireless network of fig. 3 represents an apparatus comprising the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may include network nodes having different combinations of components. It is to be understood that the network node comprises any suitable combination of hardware and/or software necessary to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Further, while the components of network node 360 are depicted as single blocks within larger blocks or nested within multiple blocks, in practice, a network node may comprise multiple distinct physical components making up a single illustrated component (e.g., device-readable medium 380 may comprise multiple independent hard drives and multiple RAM modules). Similarly, network node 360 may be comprised of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.) that may each have their own respective components. In some scenarios where network node 360 includes multiple independent components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of these independent components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple nodebs. In such scenarios, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be viewed as a single separate network node in some cases. In some embodiments, the network node 360 may be configured to support multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate device-readable media 380 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 362 may be shared by RATs). The network node 360 may also include multiple sets of various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into the network node 360, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or sets of chips as well as other components within network node 360.

In particular embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein, which may be provided by a base station, a node B, an enhanced node B, a base station controller, a radio network controller, a relay station, and/or any other type of network node, may be provided by processing circuitry 370 executing instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, such as memory 380 shown in fig. 3. Alternative embodiments of the radio access node may comprise additional components responsible for providing additional functionality, including any of the functionality identified above and/or any functionality necessary to support the solution described herein.

The processing circuit 370 may be implemented with one or more processing devices. The processing circuit 370 may perform functions associated with its operation including, but not limited to, precoding of antenna gain/phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming a communication message, formatting of information, and overall control of the corresponding communication device. Exemplary functions related to management of communication resources include, but are not limited to, hardware installation, traffic management, performance data analysis, configuration management, security, billing, and the like. The processor may be of any type suitable to the local application environment, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors ("DSPs"), field programmable gate arrays ("FPGAs"), application specific integrated circuits ("ASICs"), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples.

The processing circuit 370 is configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by the processing circuit 370 may include: the information obtained by the processing circuit 370 is processed, and a determination is made as a result of the processing, by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information with information stored in a network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information.

In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device may be performed by the processing circuitry 370 executing instructions stored on the device-readable medium 380 or memory within the processing circuitry 370. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuit 370, such as in a hardwired manner, without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable medium. In any of those embodiments, the processing circuit 370, whether executing instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium or not, may be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry 370 or to other components of the network node 360, but rather are enjoyed by the network node 360 as a whole and/or by the end user and the wireless network in general.

The processing circuit 370 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and/or encoded logic operable to provide the functionality of the network node 360, alone or in combination with other network node 360 components, such as the device readable medium 380. For example, the processing circuit 370 may execute instructions stored in the device-readable medium 380 or in a memory within the processing circuit 370. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 370 may comprise a system on a chip (SOC).

In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 370 may include one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 372 and baseband processing circuitry 374. In some embodiments, the Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 372 and the baseband processing circuit 374 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 372 and baseband processing circuitry 374 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

Device-readable medium 380 may be one or more memories and may be of any type suitable to the local application environment and the device-readable medium 380 may store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by processing circuit 370. Device-readable medium 380 may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The program stored in the memory may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by the associated processor, enable the network node 360 to perform its intended tasks. Of course, the memory may form a data buffer for data transferred to and from the same memory. Exemplary embodiments of the systems, subsystems and modules as described herein may be implemented, at least in part, by computer software executable by a processor, or by hardware, or by a combination thereof. Device-readable medium 380 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuit 370 and/or any data received via interface 390. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 370 and the device-readable medium 380 may be considered integrated.

Interface 390 provides for wired or wireless communication of signaling and/or data between network node 360, a backhaul network (e.g., network 130), and/or a WD (e.g., WD 140). As shown, the interface 390 includes port (s)/terminal(s) 394 for transmitting and receiving data to and from the network, e.g., over a wired or wireless connection. Interface 390 also includes radio front-end circuitry 392 that may be coupled to antenna 362 or, in some embodiments, be part of antenna 362. The radio front-end circuit 392 includes a filter 398 and an amplifier 396. The radio front-end circuitry 392 may be connected to the antenna 362 and the processing circuitry 370. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 362 and the processing circuitry 370. The radio front-end circuitry 392 may receive digital data to be sent out to other network nodes or WDs via wireless connections. The radio front-end circuit 392 may use a combination of filters 398 and/or amplifiers 396 to convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 362. Similarly, the antenna 362 may collect radio signals as it receives data, which are then converted to digital data by the radio front end circuitry 392. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 370. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and/or different combinations of components.

In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 360 may not include separate radio front-end circuitry 392, and the processing circuitry 370 may instead include radio front-end circuitry and may be connected to the antenna 362 without the separate radio front-end circuitry 392. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of RF transceiver circuitry 372 may be considered part of interface 390. In still other embodiments, interface 390 may include one or more ports or terminals 394, radio front-end circuitry 392, and RF transceiver circuitry 372 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and interface 390 may communicate with baseband processing circuitry 374 as part of a digital unit (not shown).

The antenna 362 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and/or receive wireless signals. The antenna 362 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 392, and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and/or signals. In some embodiments, antennas 362 may include one or more omni-directional, sector, or patch antennas operable to transmit/receive radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 100 GHz. The omni-directional antenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals in any direction, the sector antenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals from the device within a specific area, and the panel antenna may be a line-of-sight antenna for transmitting/receiving radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some cases, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In some embodiments, antenna 362 may be separate from network node 360 and may be connected to network node 360 through an interface or port.

The antenna 362, the interface 390, and/or the processing circuit 370 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and/or signals may be received from the wireless device, another network node, and/or any other network apparatus. Similarly, the antenna 362, the interface 390, and/or the processing circuit 370 may be configured to perform any transmit operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and/or signals may be communicated to the wireless device, another network node, and/or any other network equipment.

The power circuit 387 may include or may be coupled to a power management circuit, and is configured to supply power to components of the network node 360 for performing the functionality described herein. The power circuit 387 may receive power from the power supply 386. Power supply 386 and/or power circuit 387 may be configured to provide power to the various components of network node 360 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). Power supply 386 may be included in power circuit 387 and/or network node 360 or external to power circuit 387 and/or network node 360. For example, the network node 360 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface, such as a cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit 387. As a further example, the power supply 386 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated with the power circuit 387. The battery may provide backup power if the external power source fails. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

Alternative embodiments of network node 360 may include additional components beyond those shown in fig. 3 that may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the network node's functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and/or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, network node 360 may include a user interface device that allows information to be input into network node 360 and allows information to be output from network node 360. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for network node 360.

For fifth generation ("5G") -new air interface ("NR") communication systems, the concept of on-demand delivery of system information is being considered in addition to periodically broadcasting system information ("SI") within a cell. The on-demand SI delivery request may trigger broadcasting of additional SIs in one or more periodically recurring preconfigured occasions (and/or resources). This on-demand delivery approach may be used by a WD (also referred to as a UE), such as WD 210, in an idle/inactive state, where the request/trigger may take the form of a dedicated preamble (e.g., similar or identical to a random access preamble). In addition to the preamble-based SI request, the SI request may be implemented by a three-way message exchange including a random access preamble transmission from WD 210 while in idle/inactive state, a random access response from network node 360 (e.g., the gNB, a base station in 3GPP NR standardization work), and plus an explicit request message (i.e., an "incomplete" random access procedure without contention resolution). The request may detail the details of the request part, such as available on-demand SI, and may be included in message 3 of the random access procedure.

The on-demand SI delivery request may also trigger a response specific to request WD 210. Such a variant may be designed to be used by a WD in either (or both) of an idle/inactive state or a connected/active state. In the former case, the request/trigger may be a dedicated preamble, as in the case of trigger broadcast of additional SI, and in this case the network node transmission and reception point ("TRP") may respond immediately (or in a pre-configured occasion and/or resource that recurs periodically as described above) and may beamform the response in the direction of the requesting UE (based on directional reciprocity in the gNB/TRP). In the latter case, the UE may send the potentially detailed and more elaborate SI request in the form of a radio resource control ("RRC") message, and the gNB may respond with an RRC message addressed to the requesting UE.

Turning now to fig. 4, an exchange of signals requesting on-demand system information is shown. This exchange may be used in conjunction with on-demand SI delivery. The UE 410 in connected/active mode transmits a unicast RRC message 480 requesting SI on demand to the network node 460 (e.g., the gNB). In response, the network node 460 transmits a unicast RRC message 490 delivering the on demand SI. The unicast RRC message 490 may replace some or all of the SI that the UE 410 has received from the broadcast in the cell. The broadcast SI may also be referred to as a "common SI" because it arrives and involves multiple UEs. Unicast SI may also be referred to as "dedicated SI" or "on-demand SI". The unicast RRC message 490 may include UE-specific or UE group-specific SI. This allows for distinguishing or separating UEs based on various aspects.

Fig. 5 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a structure of system information in a communication system. Signaling physical cell identity ("PCI") 550a by an index of NR-primary/NR-secondary synchronization signal ("NR-PSS/NR-SSS") 550 b; a master information block ("MIB") 520 is signaled in a first broadcast channel denoted as an NR-physical broadcast channel (referred to as "NR-PBCH 1") 530; and signals a periodically broadcast system information block ("SIB") 550 in a second broadcast channel denoted NR-PBCH 2540. Note that the second broadcast channel NR-PBCH may be mapped in a manner similar to PDCCH + PDSCH₂Implemented as a control-data-channel pair. Of course, additional information fields may also be included. A synchronization signal ("SS") block 510 provides the PCI 550a and the MIB 520. The MIB 520 contains at least a value tag (valutag) 520b, an SI index 520c, and configuration information 520d, so that the UE can receive periodically broadcasted SIBs 530 on the NR-PBCH 2540. The SI index 520c may be interpreted to select which configuration in the SIB should be applied to each beam. This enables different beams to be configured with different parameters. For example, different beams may have different physical random access channel ("PRACH") slots and/or different PRACH preamble sequences. FIG. 5 illustrates when communication is passed from the sourceImplementation of periodically broadcasted SI 530 and on-demand (dedicated) SI 570 delivery at request trigger by a UE in the system. For a better understanding of the structure of the System Information, see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62/418162 entitled "System and Method for Encoding System Information for Multiple Cells and Beams," filed on 4.11.2016, which is incorporated herein by reference.

In some embodiments, the broadcast SI parameters may be collected in SIBs (a particular parameter may belong to only one SIB and it may be specified in the standard, for example, which SIB it belongs to). Thus, a SIB may be considered a set of parameters. Further, the set of parameters provided via dedicated (RRC) signaling (i.e., dedicated SI) may be a full SIB (or SIBs), or may contain only a portion of the parameters of the SIB (or portions of SIBs) (e.g., only those parameters having values that overwrite corresponding broadcast parameters).

Discussed in more detail below are various embodiments in which the UE or WD manages the dedicated SI and the common SI (with other parameter values, i.e. different configurations) when it receives the SI broadcast from the radio access node. The embodiments may be applied regardless of whether the UE remains in a connected/active state or switches to an idle/inactive state.

In one embodiment, the network node 460 combines (tie) the validity of the private SI to a validity indicator (e.g., version number) of the public SI. In this scenario, the dedicated SI is valid until the validity indicator indicates that the common SI has changed or is no longer valid. When this occurs, the UE 410 acquires the updated common SI and modifies (e.g., supplements, replaces, discards, etc.) the previously received dedicated SI. This embodiment may be extended to multiple validity indications, each incorporated into a separate part of the common SI. In other embodiments, the validity of the dedicated SI is associated with a validity time such as a time to live (time to live) timer (upon expiration of which the UE should acquire the common SI), or defined to be valid until further notification.

Thus, a gap in the handling of dedicated SI on corresponding common SI for UE behavior is filled. Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide a way for a network to configure a UE to operate according to different principles (behaves) depending on, without limitation, operator policy, UE capabilities, subscription data, or design choices specified in 3GPP standards. In some scenarios, it may be convenient to reference the stored SI. The stored SI may include, for example, a set of currently active SI parameters. The stored SI may include a common SI, a dedicated SI, or a mixture, as the case may be.

Some embodiments disclosed herein provide mechanisms to manage system information when a common SI is broadcast and acquired by a UE and can be modified by a dedicated SI (e.g., a UE-specific or UE group-specific SI) provided to the UE via unicast messaging. The system information may be based on, but is not limited to, UE class/capability, subscription information, quality of service ("QoS") of bearers/flows of the UE, awareness of applications running on the UE, and battery status. Certain embodiments disclosed herein may also be applied to cases where a UE receives a dedicated SI but may later receive a common SI via broadcast. Some embodiments may be applied regardless of whether the UE remains in a connected/active state or switches to an idle/inactive state after receiving the dedicated SI.

There are different ways to cope with the situation where the UE receives the dedicated SI and thereafter receives the common SI. First, the UE may continue to use the previously stored dedicated SI (e.g., UE or UE group specific SI). Alternatively, the UE may modify the previously stored dedicated SI with the common SI. A mix of these two approaches is also possible, such as replacing some of the parameters of the dedicated SI, while keeping others. A radio access node (e.g., a gNB) or network may generally maintain control of UEs with respect to handling private and public SIs via validity instructions.

In one embodiment, the gNB incorporates (or associates) the validity of the dedicated SI to a validity indicator (e.g., version number) of the common SI. Typically, this means that the gNB commands the UE to treat the dedicated SI as valid as long as the common SI it replaces remains unchanged, as indicated by a validity indicator associated with the common SI (e.g., broadcast together with or separately from the common SI). Once the common SI changes (as indicated by its associated validity indicator), the UE may acquire and apply the updated common SI and invalidate and preferably (but not necessarily) discard the previously stored dedicated SI. To support this approach, the network may communicate the validity indicator to the UE along with the dedicated SI, but alternatively the network may provide the validity indicator as part of the broadcast transmission, or the validity indicator (e.g., a preconfigured timer) may be stored or preconfigured by the UE.

In some embodiments, there may be multiple validity indications, each validity indication being associated with a different portion of the common SI. In some embodiments, the plurality of validity indications may each comprise a SIB ValueTag. In some scenarios, the multiple validity indications or each SIB ValueTag may be considered a validity indicator. When considering the validity of (and how to handle) the stored dedicated SI, the UE may check the validity indication(s) of the broadcast common SI segment(s) corresponding to the dedicated SI. Different pieces of system information can be considered separately and modified separately, as required by the corresponding validity indication(s) or instruction (command). As described above, the network may include the validity indicator when sending the dedicated SI to the UE, or as part of the broadcast message(s).

In another embodiment, the network associates a validity timer, such as a time-to-live timer (when delivering the dedicated SI to the UE), with the dedicated SI and commands the UE to treat the dedicated SI as valid until the time-to-live timer expires. At that time, the UE may use the common SI (i.e., either acquire it or use the already acquired and stored common SI) unless the network provides the UE with another dedicated SI or refreshes the previous dedicated SI (e.g., resets the time-to-live timer). The time-to-live timer or indication may be delivered to the UE along with the dedicated SI, which is provided in the common SI via a broadcast message or specified in the standard.

In yet another embodiment, the network may command the UE that the dedicated SI is valid until further notified, despite the change in the common SI. In some embodiments, this may be done by essentially setting the time-to-live timer to infinity. The above embodiments may be used in parallel, and in such cases, the configuration of the UE may depend on operator policy, UE capabilities, subscription data, QoS of bearers/flows of the UE, awareness of applications running on the UE, battery status, etc.

The above embodiments may also be combined in various ways, such as configuring the dedicated SI to depend on the validity indication associated with the common SI and on the time-to-live timer. That is, the UE may consider the dedicated SI as valid until the validity indication involved changes or the time-to-live timer expires (whichever occurs first). The validity of the dedicated SI may also be incorporated into the SI index as part of the synchronization signal ("SS") and system information block ("SIB") configuration to be applied in the cell (see fig. 5). With this method, if the SI index in the synchronization signal changes, the dedicated SI will be invalidated. The validity rule may be, for example, that a dedicated SI is valid as long as the SI index is one SI index of a set of SI indices (including the current SI index).

In another embodiment, the periodically broadcast common SI may include additional parameters that explicitly control the validity of the common and/or dedicated SI. The common SI may include two validity indicators (e.g., valueTag), one for the common SI (common validity indicator) and another validity indicator for any dedicated SI (dedicated validity indicator). When the network configures the UE with a dedicated SI, it links the validity of the dedicated SI to the currently broadcasted dedicated validity indicator. Then, when the dedicated validity indicator changes and the corresponding common SI should be ignored, regardless of the value of the common validity indicator, as long as the dedicated validity indicator remains unchanged, the UE should invalidate the dedicated SI and replace it with the corresponding common SI.

With continued reference to fig. 5, on a first channel (e.g., such as NR-physical broadcast channel 1 ("NR-PBCH"))₁") a first physical broadcast channel) 530 and a common validity indicator is transmitted in a master information block (" MIB ") 520 and in a second physical broadcast channelTwo channels (e.g., NR-PBCH on a second physical broadcast channel)₂Above in the SIB belonging to the minimum SI) 540, then the common validity indicator (which is affected by the update of the overall content of the minimum SI) will also override the dedicated validity indicator, which means that a change of the dedicated validity indicator will cause a change of the common validity indicator. Thus, whenever the common validity indicator (e.g., ValueTag 520 b) changes, a UE configured with a dedicated SI will read the second physical broadcast channel 540 to determine whether the dedicated validity indicator changes. In some embodiments, the common validity indicator may be broadcast in the SIB 1560. As an alternative to introducing a dedicated validity indicator, the periodically broadcasted common SI may contain a flag indicating whether the current version of the common SI (as indicated by the validity indicator) should overwrite the dedicated SI associated with the previous value of the validity indicator. Note that the second broadcast channel NR-PBCH may be mapped in a manner similar to PDCCH + PDSCH₂Implemented as a control-data-channel pair.

In some embodiments, when the UE returns to a cell after having connected to another cell (e.g., after a ping-pong handover), the handling of dedicated SI may be managed as described below. The network may configure the UE to leave validity conditions unaffected by such events. That is, if no revocation condition has been triggered (e.g., validity indication change or expiration of a time-to-live timer), the UE should still consider the stored dedicated SI as valid when returning to the cell in which the dedicated SI was obtained. Alternatively, the network may configure the UE to discard/invalidate the stored dedicated SI once it connects to another cell.

Further, the validity of the common and dedicated SI may depend on the state of the UE. As an option, the network may configure the dedicated SI to be invalidated (and replaced by the common SI) when the UE moves to idle/inactive mode or to remain valid without being affected by the handover from connected/active to idle/inactive mode. The handling of common and dedicated SI may be in terms of a set of cells or other areas. The first case is that the dedicated SI is only valid in the cell where it is delivered to the UE. However, the validity range may also be a list of cells (potentially even excluding the cell in which it is passed to the UE), the cells served by a certain gNB (e.g. this is defined by the gNB identifier), the radio access network paging area (i.e. the area/set of cells for radio access network internal paging of the UE in the "new NR state" (tentatively denoted inactive state)) or the tracking area. In some cases, the network may configure the validity range to be one or more cells other than the cell in which the dedicated SI is communicated to the UE (i.e., excluding the cell in which the dedicated SI is obtained). In such a case, the network may provide the UE with two dedicated SIs, one valid for the cell providing the dedicated SI and the other valid for the other cell. It is also possible to provide the UE with a list of dedicated SIs valid for the selected cell. Validity rules between public and private SI may also be applied.

Turning now to fig. 6, there is a signaling diagram illustrating the exchange of signals according to a particular embodiment. First, the network node broadcasts a first common SI (including a first validity indicator) with a broadcast SI 610. The broadcast SI 610 includes and initial validity indicator 1. The network node then unicasts the RRC message 620. Unicast message 620 may deliver an on-demand dedicated SI. The on-demand dedicated SI may include validity instructions. For example, it may associate the validity of the SI to a validity timer, a validity indicator, and the like. There may be additional unrelated messages (not shown) sent between the broadcast SI 610 and the unicast message 620. Then, at 630, the UE (in connected/active mode) modifies a corresponding portion of the stored SI (e.g., the common SI received in the broadcast SI 610) with the received on-demand dedicated SI (received in the unicast message 620). At 640, the UE associates the validity of the dedicated SI with the validity indicator and/or validity timer of the broadcasted first common SI. The association may cause both the broadcast SI and the dedicated SI to expire under the same conditions or under separate conditions. For example, a dedicated SI may have a validity timer associated with it, while a broadcast SI may be incorporated into the validity indicator. If commanded or required, the UE starts a validity timer at 650. The validity timer may be associated with the broadcast SI, the dedicated SI, or both. In some embodiments, the broadcast SI and the dedicated SI may have separate timers associated therewith.

Then, at 660, the network node broadcasts an updated delivery of the second or updated common SI. The second common SI includes a second or updated validity indicator. At 670, the UE checks the updated second validity indicator of the broadcast second common SI and compares it with the existing one or more validity indicators. In some embodiments, at 670, the UE may also check for potential expiration of a validity timer (if any) to determine whether the second common SI overwrites the stored on-demand dedicated SI. Then, at 680, the UE applies the validity rule, and depending on the scenario: modifying the stored on-demand dedicated SI with a corresponding portion of the broadcast second common SI; reserving a previously stored on-demand dedicated SI and ignoring a corresponding portion of the broadcast second common SI; or supplementing the stored on-demand dedicated SI with a second common SI. In some embodiments, the validity timer may be reset or discarded.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a method in accordance with certain embodiments is illustrated. The method 700 begins at step 710, where the UE is in a connected/active mode and initially has no on-demand dedicated SI stored therein. In step 720, the UE receives the broadcasted common SI with the associated validity indicator. Then, in step 730, the UE receives the on-demand dedicated SI with the associated validity rule. In step 740, the UE replaces (the corresponding part of) the stored broadcast common SI with the received on-demand dedicated SI. In some embodiments, the replacement may be temporary, as the UE completes the remaining steps to determine whether the dedicated SI is valid.

At decision step 750, the UE assesses whether the validity rule includes a validity timer. If the validity rule does not include a validity timer, the method proceeds to the next step, otherwise, if the validity rule includes a validity timer, the UE starts the validity timer in step 760. At decision step 770, the UE assesses whether the validity rule includes a dependency on a broadcast common SI validity indicator. If the validity rule includes a dependency on the broadcast common SI validity indicator, the UE associates the validity of the on-demand dedicated SI with the validity indicator of the broadcast common SI in step 780. Then, in step 790, the UE in CONNECTED/active mode (e.g., RRC _ CONNECTED state in 5G/NR) stores the on-demand dedicated SI.

Turning now to FIG. 8, a method in accordance with certain embodiments is illustrated. The method 800 begins at step 810, where the UE is in connected/active mode, and where on-demand dedicated SIs with corresponding validity indicators have been stored. At decision step 820, the UE assesses whether the validity timer (if any) has expired. If the validity timer has expired, the UE replaces the stored on-demand SI with (a counterpart of) the previously received broadcast common SI in step 830. Otherwise, or after the previous steps, the UE assesses whether a new transmission broadcasting the common SI has been received, decision step 840.

If the broadcast common SI has not been received, the method 800 returns to decision step 820. If the UE determines that a new transmission of the broadcast common SI has been received, the method 800 proceeds to decision step 850. At decision step 850, the UE applies rules to the validity indicators for handling common and dedicated SIs. For example, the UE determines whether the received broadcast common SI validity indicator is different from a validity indicator associated with the stored SI. If the validity indications are not different, the method 800 returns to decision step 820. If the validity indicators are different, the UE replaces the stored on-demand dedicated SI with (the corresponding part of) the previously received broadcast common SI and discards the validity timer, if any, in step 860. The method ends in step 870, where the UE is in connected/active mode and no on-demand dedicated SI is stored.

Turning now to fig. 9, an exchange of signals is illustrated, in accordance with a particular embodiment. In the figure, the network node 960 (e.g., the gNB) sends the unicast SI 921 in an RRC message. The unicast SI 921 delivers the dedicated SI including the dedicated validity indicator to the UE 910. Then, in step 922, the network node 960 broadcasts a common SI comprising a common validity indicator. Then, in step 923, the network node 960 provides instructions to the UE 910 on how to handle the dedicated and common SI. According to these instructions, and assuming that the UE employs the parameters of the common SI, the UE 910 starts a validity timer in step 924. When the timer expires, the UE 910 replaces the parameters of the common SI with the corresponding parameters of the dedicated SI in step 925.

Then, at step 926, the network node 960 broadcasts an updated common SI comprising the updated common validity indicator and provides updated instructions to handle the dedicated and updated common SI at step 927. According to these instructions, and assuming that the UE employs the parameters of the dedicated SI, at step 928, the UE 910 compares the dedicated validity indicator with the updated common validity indicator to determine the disposition of the parameters of the dedicated SI and the updated common SI. The comparison may be based on different types of rules as set forth in the updated instructions. For example, in step 929, if the dedicated validity indicator is different from the updated common validity indicator, the UE may replace the parameters of the dedicated SI with the corresponding parameters of the updated common SI (or vice versa). The method may then repeat as indicated by step 970. For example, the network node 960 may provide a plurality of updated common SIs to the UE including corresponding updated common validity indicators and instruct the UE to replace a parameter of the dedicated SI with a corresponding parameter of one of the plurality of updated common SIs. As an example, the UE 910 may employ the parameters of the tenth updated common SI.

Of course, in any of the embodiments disclosed herein, there are many rules that may be applied to the validity indicator. As an example, a rule may be that a common validity indicator (also referred to as "valutag _ c") that is greater than M (e.g., M = 1000) overwrites any dedicated validity indicator (also referred to as "valutag _ d"), and any common validity indicator that is less than M indicates to the UE that the dedicated SI is still valid.

Another rule may be that the UE replaces the dedicated SI with the common SI if the common validity indicator is greater than the dedicated validity indicator plus the variable "N". In such cases, the network may update the common SI (and associated common validity indicator) up to N times (e.g., N = 5) without forcing the UE to replace the dedicated SI (which is associated with the dedicated validity indicator) with the new common SI. After more than N updates (and incremental updates of the common validity indicator), the UE will replace the dedicated SI with the latest version of the common SI.

Another example is to incorporate validity of unicast dedicated system information that may modify portions of stored system information into one or more validity indications associated with broadcast common system information and configure the UE to behave and manage the system information in some manner based on one or more of the one or more validity indications and/or instructions and possible changes in the instructions. In addition to the logical dependency of the broadcast validity indication(s), the UE may be configured to make the validity of the unicast dedicated system information dependent on timing aspects such as a validity timer (e.g., a time-to-live timer or indication). The network broadcasts common system information and provides unicast dedicated system information to the UE, and configures the UE to manage validity of the dedicated system information based on the validity determination. The UE receives both the broadcast common system information and the dedicated system information and determines to use one or both or portions thereof based on the validity.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method in accordance with certain embodiments. The method shows steps performed by a User Equipment (UE). Although these steps will be described for the UE, they are equally applicable to the Wireless Device (WD). The method begins at step 1010 with receiving a first message. The first message includes a first set of parameters associated with system information. Depending on the embodiment or scenario, the first message may include dedicated system information. For example, the first message may be specifically addressed to the UE (or to a specific group or subset of UEs of which the UE is a member). Alternatively, the first message may include common system information. For example, the first message may be broadcast to any or all UEs within range of the network node transmitting the first message. The first set of parameters may include a plurality of different system information parameters. The number may vary from all possible system information parameters to a single system information parameter. In some embodiments, the first set of parameters may comprise a system information block. In some scenarios, the first message contains zero or more additional system information blocks. A single system information block may contain a single set of parameters. The message may include a plurality of system information blocks. Thus, in some scenarios, the first set of parameters may be based on a plurality of sets of parameters from a plurality of system information blocks associated with the first message. In some scenarios, the first message may be a dedicated (RRC) message containing a dedicated SI. In some embodiments, the set of parameters may be provided via dedicated (RRC) signaling (i.e., dedicated SI, which may be a full SIB (or multiple SIBs), or may contain only a portion of the parameters of the SIB (or portions of multiple SIBs), e.g., only those parameters that have values that override the corresponding broadcast parameters).

Regardless of the type of system information (e.g., private or public), the first set of parameters may have a first validity associated therewith. The validity may be any of the different types of validity discussed above for any of the other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the first validity may be based on a first validity indication (e.g., a version indicator or SI index). As another example, the first validity may be based on a timer (e.g., a time-to-live timer). In some embodiments, the timer value may be part of the first message. For example, when a first message is received, a timer is set based on a timer value within the first message. The parameters may be valid until the timer expires. In some embodiments, the timer value may be part of a different message. For example, a set of parameters previously received in a different message may have a timer associated therewith. The first set of parameters may be valid only upon expiration of a timer from a previous message. In some embodiments, only the dedicated system information parameters may have a timer associated with them (the common system information parameters will not have a timer associated with them).

At step 1015, the stored set of parameters is derived. The stored set of parameters may be derived based at least in part on the first set of parameters and its associated validity. This may occur in a number of different scenarios. For example, the UE may be powered on just as recently, and the first set of parameters may be the first system information parameters received by the UE. In such scenarios, the stored set of parameters may be based entirely on the first set of parameters. As another example, the UE may have been operating for a certain time before receiving the first message. In such a scenario, the first set of parameters may be added to or replace an existing part of the stored set of parameters. This may be similar to the modification step 1030 discussed in more detail below. The number of parameters of the first parameter set may or may not be equal to the number of parameters of the stored parameter set.

In step 1020, the UE receives a second message including a second set of parameters associated with system information. The second set of parameters may be associated with public system information or private system information, as with the first set of parameters from the first message. The actual number of parameters of the second set of parameters need not be equal to the number of parameters of the first set of parameters. The parameters of the second set of parameters may correspond to all or some of the parameters of the first set of parameters, or may not correspond to any of the parameters of the first set of parameters. In some embodiments, the second set of parameters may comprise a system information block. The second message may contain zero or more additional system information blocks.

Likewise, the second set of parameters has a second significance associated therewith, as with the first set of parameters. In some embodiments, the second validity may be based on the first validity, or vice versa (e.g., the second set of parameters may inherit the first validity associated with the first set of parameters). The second validity may be based on a validity indication (e.g., a version indicator or SI index) or a timer. In some embodiments, the first and second effectiveness may be based on a plurality of factors. For example, the validity of the first or second parameter set may be based on a version indicator and a time-to-live timer associated with the first parameter set, the second parameter set, a stored parameter set, or a combination of one or more of these parameter sets.

In step 1025, the UE determines whether the second set of parameters supersedes the first set of parameters. This may be based on the first validity and/or the second validity. For example, in some embodiments, the UE may compare the first validity to the second validity. As a more specific example, the UE may compare a first version indicator associated with a first set of parameters to a second version indicator associated with a second set of parameters. As another example, the UE may rate a timer value associated with the first or second validity. Then, if the timer has expired or has not expired, the second set of parameters may supersede the first set of parameters, as appropriate. For example, the second set of parameters may be valid as long as a timer associated with the second set of parameters has expired or has not expired, or as long as a timer associated with the first set of parameters has expired or has not expired. In some embodiments, the timer may be based on a timestamp and/or a specified time (rather than an actual timer that counts down to 0). For example, the timer may specify a particular time at which the associated parameter(s) expire. Then, when a second set of parameters is received, the first set of parameters is valid if the associated timestamp is before the specified specific time; the second set of parameters is valid if the timestamp is after the specified time. In some embodiments, validity may be based on a combination of a timer and a validity indicator. For example, a first set of parameters may have a first version indicator and a first timer associated therewith. The first parameter set replaces the second parameter set if the second version indicator precedes the first version indicator, or if the timer has not expired (i.e., the second set replaces the first set only if the timer has expired and the second version number is newer than the first version number).

In step 1030, the UE modifies the stored set of parameters when the second validity replaces the first validity. The UE may modify the stored set of parameters in a variety of different ways. For example, in some scenarios, the UE may replace one or more parameters in the stored set of parameters with corresponding parameter(s) from the second set of parameters. As another example, in some scenarios, the UE may add one or more parameters from the second set of parameters to the stored set of parameters. As another example, in some scenarios, the UE may remove one or more parameters from the stored set of parameters. These examples are not mutually exclusive. That is, in some scenarios, the UE may remove some parameters from the stored set of parameters, add some parameters to the stored set of parameters, and replace some parameters in the stored set of parameters. In some embodiments, each parameter in the stored set of parameters may have its own respective validity, depending on the set received with each parameter. For example, if a second set of parameters replaces 3 of the 10 parameters in the stored set, those 3 parameters will have the second validity, while the remaining 7 parameters may have the first validity (or any validity associated therewith when they were added to the stored set of parameters). In some embodiments, each parameter in the stored set of parameters may share the same validity. This may be, for example, the validity of the set that was last used to modify the stored parameter set. The modified parameter(s) may be a parameter from the first set of parameters, or it may be a parameter that was added to the stored set of parameters in some other way (e.g., precoded or received in a different message).

As described above, the exemplary embodiments provide both a method and a corresponding apparatus, which consists of various functional units or modules providing the functionality for performing the steps of the method. These functional units or modules may be implemented as hardware (embodied in one or more chips comprising an integrated circuit, such as an application specific integrated circuit), or may be implemented as software or firmware for execution by a processor. In particular, in the case of firmware or software, the exemplary embodiments can be provided as a computer program product including a computer-readable storage medium having computer program code (i.e., the software or firmware) embodied thereon for execution by the computer processor. The computer-readable storage medium may be non-transitory (e.g., magnetic disk, optical disk, read-only memory, flash memory devices, phase-change memory) or transitory (e.g., electrical, optical, acoustical or other form of propagated signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). The coupling of the processor and other components is typically through one or more buses or bridges (also known as bus controllers). The storage device and signals carrying the digital services represent one or more non-transitory or transitory computer-readable storage media, respectively. Thus, the storage of a given electronic device typically stores code and/or data for execution on a set of one or more processors of the electronic device (such as a controller).

Although the embodiments and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the appended claims. For example, many of the features and functions discussed above can be implemented in software, hardware, or firmware, or a combination thereof. Moreover, many of the features, functions, and operational steps thereof can be reordered, omitted, added, combined, etc., and still fall within the broad scope of various embodiments.

Moreover, the scope of the various embodiments disclosed above is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.

Claims

1. A method for managing system information, the method comprising:

receiving a first message comprising a first set of parameters associated with system information, the first set of parameters having a first validity;

deriving a stored set of parameters based at least in part on the first set of parameters and its associated validity;

receiving a second message comprising a second set of parameters associated with system information, the second set of parameters having a second validity; and

modifying the stored set of parameters when the second validity replaces the first validity,

wherein the first message comprises private system information and the second message comprises public system information, or wherein the first message comprises public system information and the second message comprises private system information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the case that the first message includes private system information and the second message includes public system information, the second set of parameters is a system information block and the second message contains zero or more additional system information blocks.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the case that the first message includes common system information and the second message includes dedicated system information, the first set of parameters is a system information block and the first message contains zero or more additional system information blocks.

4. The method of any one of claims 1-3:

wherein the first validity is based on a first validity indication and the second validity is based on a second validity indication; and

the method further includes comparing the first validity indication to the second validity indication to determine whether the second validity supersedes the first validity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the first validity indication comprises a first version indicator and the second validity indication comprises a second version indicator; and

wherein the second validity replaces the first validity when the second version indicator comprises a newer version than the first version indicator.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-3:

wherein at least one of the first validity or the second validity has a timer associated therewith; and

the method further includes determining whether the timer has expired to determine whether the second validity supersedes the first validity.

7. The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein modifying the stored set of parameters comprises modifying the stored set of parameters based on one or more modifications selected from the group consisting of:

replacing a parameter in the stored set of parameters with a corresponding parameter from the second set of parameters,

adding parameters from the second set of parameters to the stored set of parameters,

removing parameters from the stored set of parameters based on information contained in the second set of parameters.

8. A User Equipment (UE) for managing system information, the UE comprising:

interface circuitry configured to receive a first message comprising a first set of parameters associated with system information, the first set of parameters having a first validity;

processing circuitry coupled to the interface circuitry and configured to derive a stored set of parameters based at least in part on the first set of parameters and its associated validity;

wherein the interface circuit is further configured to receive a second message comprising a second set of parameters associated with system information, the second set of parameters having a second validity;

wherein, when the second validity replaces the first validity, the processing circuit is further configured to modify the stored set of parameters;

a power circuit configured to provide power to the processing circuit and the interface circuit,

9. The UE of claim 8, wherein the second set of parameters is a system information block and the second message contains zero or more additional system information blocks, where the first message includes dedicated system information and the second message includes common system information.

10. The UE of claim 8, wherein the first set of parameters is a system information block and the first message contains zero or more additional system information blocks, where the first message includes common system information and the second message includes dedicated system information.

11. The UE of any of claims 8-10:

wherein the processing circuit is further configured to compare the first validity indication to the second validity indication to determine whether the second validity supersedes the first validity.

12. The UE of claim 11, wherein:

13. The UE of any of claims 8-10:

wherein the processing circuit is further configured to determine whether the timer has expired to determine whether the second validity supersedes the first validity.

14. The UE of any one of claims 8-10, wherein the processor configured to modify the stored set of parameters comprises being further configured to modify the stored set of parameters based on one or more modifications selected from the group consisting of:

15. A wireless device for managing system information, the wireless device comprising logic encoded in a non-transitory computer readable medium and a processor configured to execute the logic, whereby the logic, when executed, causes the wireless device to:

receiving a second message comprising a second set of parameters associated with system information, the second set of parameters having a second validity;

16. The wireless apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second set of parameters is a system information block and the second message contains zero or more additional system information blocks where the first message includes dedicated system information and the second message includes common system information.

17. The wireless apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first set of parameters is a system information block and the first message contains zero or more additional system information blocks where the first message comprises common system information and the second message comprises dedicated system information.

18. The wireless device of any one of claims 15-17:

wherein the logic, when executed, further causes the wireless device to compare the first validity indication to the second validity indication to determine whether the second validity supersedes the first validity.

19. The wireless device of claim 18, wherein:

20. The wireless device of any one of claims 15-17:

wherein the logic, when executed, further causes the wireless device to determine whether the timer has expired to determine whether the second validity supersedes the first validity.

21. The wireless device of any of claims 15-17, wherein the logic, when executed, causes the wireless device to modify the stored set of parameters based on one or more modifications selected from the group consisting of:

22. A system for managing private and public system information, the system comprising:

a network node configured to transmit a first message comprising a first set of parameters associated with system information, the first set of parameters having a first validity;

a user equipment configured to receive the first message and derive a stored set of parameters based at least in part on the first set of parameters and its associated validity;

wherein the network node is further configured to transmit a second message comprising a second set of parameters associated with system information, the second set of parameters having a second validity;

wherein the user equipment is further configured to receive the second message and modify the stored set of parameters when the second validity replaces the first validity,